This is a powerfully written novel about sisters, in a dysfunctional relationship, surviving a challenging upbringing. Avery is the oldest, a successful lawyer with past addiction issues, who feels responsible for her younger sisters. Bonnie is a professional boxer who was trying to find her way back to the sport after the death of their sister Nicky. Nicky was a teacher, who suffered terribly with pain from endometriosis, and her death impacts the other three in different ways. Lucky is the youngest sister, a model on her teens, with addiction issues. There were parts of the book difficult to read due to the extreme dysfunction, but the author did a great job making the reader care about the sisters and providing some hope. Recommended with warning about the addiction issues. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Hopefully this is my first Coco Mellors book of many. I loved everything about this novel. Mellors tells a complex story about four sisters, one of whom died a year before the novel begins. She's not a POV character but I felt her presence so deeply in the grief and heartache of the remaining Blue sisters, so it felt like I had a good picture of who she was by the end. This is a story about grief, addiction issues, what we pass on, and what we inherit. A thoroughly moving book with poignant writing. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the arc, this is hands down one of the best books I've read this year.

i am a siblings girl.
the great love of my life is one i've had almost the whole time. my sisters and my brother are now and forever, since the day they were born, the favorites, the most important people to me.
so when i heard that the creator of one of my favorite characters was writing about the relationship that has defined my time on earth, i was both nervous and excited.
fortunately this is a really good book.
no depiction of sisterhood may ever feel as wonderful as mine does to me, but this book was swirling with emotion. its depictions of feeling and of place were striking: i'm not sure how the author has the twofold ability to make you feel like you are in a lovingly restored house in hampstead, spinning with anger, or in a crumbling cabin upstate confused and needing your mother, or in an atelier in paris about to throw up, but it made for a consuming and grounding read.
oddly for an author whose characters have stuck with me, that was a bit where it lost me this time around. while the sisters' dynamics, feelings, and even homes felt so very real, i didn't feel the same for their selves.
but you can't win them all, and with this book, you win most.

Coco Mellors’ Blue Sisters is a beautifully crafted exploration of family dynamics that resonated deeply with me, especially as someone with five sisters of my own. From the first page, Mellors captures the complex, often messy reality of sibling relationships—the love, the tension, the misunderstandings, and the unbreakable bonds. The way she portrays family feels authentic and raw; you can sense the affection and frustration that come with being so closely tied to others yet feeling worlds apart at times.

Mellors has an incredible talent for creating characters that feel incredibly real. Each sister is distinct and fully fleshed out, with her own strengths, flaws, and secrets. As a reader, I found myself connecting with each of them in different ways, appreciating their unique perspectives and struggles. It’s rare to find a book where all the characters are so well-developed that you find yourself rooting for each of them, even when their actions are at odds. The prose, too, is a standout—Mellors writes with a lyrical yet grounded style that makes even the quiet moments feel significant.

The emotional weight of this novel hit me hard, and I think that's a testament to Mellors' skill in depicting the complexities of family life. She doesn’t shy away from showing the challenges of being close to people you love but don’t always understand, and that honesty is what makes the story so compelling. There were moments where I saw myself and my own sisters in the pages, and I think that’s why this book moved me as much as it did.

Overall, Blue Sisters is an evocative, beautifully written novel that captures the essence of family in a way that feels both specific and universal. Coco Mellors has a keen eye for detail and a deep understanding of the human heart, making this a story that lingers long after the last page.

My first Coco Mellors book, and I had some mixed feelings about it. I went in knowing almost nothing about the storyline (as I like to do) but for this one I kind of wish I had.
There are a couple of trigger warnings here...drug/alcohol abuse and a sexual act coercion (adult/adolescent, which was thankfully only briefly mentioned).

We are able to view different perspectives from each of the three Blue sisters (with a fourth alluded to). There are the usual squabblings, competitiveness and jealousies that seem to be inherent in sibling relationships (perhaps especially for sisters), and we are able to see these as they develop, beginning in childhood right up until the present day. At times it's a bit confusing keeping their personalities straight, but as they are different in significant ways it wasn't a big deal for me.

At one point, I honestly was ready to throw in the towel as I found myself depressed over the heavy topics and frustrated and tired over the sometimes immaturity of the sisters' actions. I stuck with it because I did enjoy the writing style of the author (some beautiful passages), and I felt that something more uplifting would be coming. And while, yes, there was some uplifting hope to the ending, there was also some continuing sadness which would likely follow through for the rest of these characters' lives. The takeaway though was that they had each other, an unbreakable bond, and no matter how alike or different they were, how much they hated each other at times or how much conflict they had to overcome, they were family.

Happy to have discovered this author and will look forward to reading more from her in the future.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for providing the free early arc of Blue Sisters for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

I loooooved this book!!! Very flawed characters but you couldn't help but root for them. A fantastic sister story. Highly recommend.

I love Coco Mellors and she again, did not disappoint. This book was beautiful and heart breaking. I cannot recommend it enough

Give me a beautiful story of a dysfunctional family and I’ll give you all the stars! This book is everywhere - @readwithjenna pick, @bookofthemonth selection, @barnesandnoble book club pick- and it’s absolutely well deserved.

We meet 3 the Blue sisters on the one year anniversary of the death of their fourth sister. They are broken and grieving. If you’ve followed my page for even a minute you’ll know I love character driven novels and this one is done so well. These sisters are so perfectly created and fully developed, you will know these people throughout the book. When you are raised in a home with difficult parents, an addict for a father, your only refuge becomes your sisters. When one of those sisters is removed from the equation, you’re bound to fall apart. This is that story.

“That was family, she thought sadly. The root of all comfort and chaos.”

I was so excited about reading this book. Jenna had touted it as one of her book club picks. Reviewers were raving about it. I saw it everywhere as one of the fall's most anticipated books. I am so sorry it didn’t work for me.

It’s about three wildly different siblings who are grieving their fourth sister’s death. Avery is the oldest. She’s a recovering addict who’s become an attorney living with her wife in London. Bonnie is a former boxer who now aimlessly works as a bouncer in Los Angeles. Lucky, the youngest, is a party-girl model living wherever the next job and party is.

First, the positives. The writing is outstanding. I have no bone to pick there. And the emotionality is deep and believable. But though these were interesting characters I hadn’t seen before, I didn’t love or particularly sympathize with any of them. I get it about grief—it can bring out the worst of us—but I didn’t want to read about bad decision after bad decision. That’s frustrating. You could definitely make the case that each character grew in a positive way, but I didn’t enjoy the journey. Also, I’m not a fan of explicit sex scenes. When I got to one in particular, I thought, “Okay—on to the epilogue.”

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Growing up an only child sometime makes it hard for me to identify with sister stories. But i found this to be an exception. You meet each of the Blue sisters on their own, so you fully get to know them as individuals before seeing them in their sibling roles. I can’t imagine the pain a family suffers with the loss of a sister/child. Blue sisters is a realistic look at family trauma and the lasting effects. I loved each characters individual strengths and felt sorrow for their struggles. I loved that the sister’s paths were messy even self destructive-few of us escape with no scars. If you love a realistic family drama this is for you!

“Welcome to the great, wide world, Nicole”
Excuse me one moment- 😭😭😭

I knew from the first page I was going to love this book but it defied all my expectations.
I truly loved these characters no matter what they were doing or what fault they had. I don't have a sister and loved reading about this dynamic. Especially the parentification of Avery, the oldest, at a young age. I loved reading about Bonnie and her boxing (enjoy my kickboxing classes so much but will never spare lol). Lucky was hard to get through sometimes I wish I could have reached through the book and shaken her a few times.

I can't recommend this book enough for women who love lit fic about ordinary lives and extraordinary circumstances. Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine books for an early copy of this book!

Blue Sisters is such a beautiful story about the complexities of grief, identity and family relationships. I really enjoyed this novel because the characters were well developed and I really resonated with the complicated family dynamic. Blue Sisters dives deeper into generational trauma which I appreciate because I feel this is something that people need to recognize and acknowledge in order to move forward. I laughed and cried through all of these pages and I definitely want you all to pick this book up, you'll teach your heart something for sure. Coco Mellors you have done it again! Bravo

4.5 ⭐️. such a raw, visceral look into substance abuse, grief and resiliency. I cried. I laughed. I loved reading this story.

TY to Ballantine Books and Net Galley for the advance reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED Blue Sisters so much. This hooked me immediately in the prologue and set up each of the four Blue sisters perfectly. You're thrown in to the story, but also feel like you've known each sister for a long time. This is beautifully written. I couldn't stop thinking about this book anytime I had to take a break (which I loathed) and couldn't wait to get back to the story to see what happened next.

4 sisters who come together after the death of one of their own one year later. It’s the story of how the product of the same family can yield such different personalities, who are still attached by that sisterhood bond.

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It’s a slow burn grieving and growing with the three remaining Blue sisters in the aftermath of their beloved fourth. Take your time with this one, and come armed with a highlighter. There’s some incredibly good writing here. I would love to see the Blue sisters as a tv series!

I am always down for a book about family and Blue Sisters follows 3 sisters who are navigating the loss of their sister in different ways. The book did a good job of showing how complicated family can be. How difficult it can be to move past trauma. I enjoyed how the sisters had each others back and Mellors did a good job of making each sister's character distinct. I do think it wrapped up in a neat little bow but sometimes you need just that and after all they'd been through they deserved it.

Sisters. I have one and I love her. Have I always liked her or she, me? Not by a long shot. Sister relationships are complicated. Sometimes they’re blissful. Sometimes contentious. Often times both. But, the sister relationship is special. I know for certain there is ALWAYS one person who will have my back and that’s my sister.

Coco Mellors has written the most accurate, heartbreaking, soul mending sister story. The Blue sisters have always been a unit of four. They shared the same parents, yet experienced their upbringings differently because of birth order. Their world is upended when one of the sisters dies tragically young.

This is a damaged family. Their pain, while shared, is unique to each of them. This is a story of healing. It’s ugly and hard and messy. Oh, so very messy, but the mess is necessary.

I was not a huge fan of Ms. Mellors’s first book, Cleopatra and Frankenstein. I loved her writing while hating the characters. I’m glad I gave her writing a second chance. This book is exceptional.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my unbiased review.

Wow, was this a tear jerker. This was a beautifully written story about sisters, their trauma from childhood and how it impacts their adult lives and relationships. The 3 Blue Sisters are brought back together on the year anniversary of the 4th sisters death. They are all drastically different, but all dealing with addictions in their own way. Together they have to work through some of their childhood issues, trauma from today and heartbreak. You will fall in love with their relationship, your heart will break from their experiences and be amazed at the way they support one another (even when they disagree.) A wonderfully written story about sisterhood, grief and destructive behaviors.

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

"Blue Sisters" by Coco Mellors is about exactly that, the Blue sisters. This book follows them in their grief a year after Nicky, the third oldest dies in their childhood home. Like actual siblings they had the same upbringing, alcoholic father and emotionally absent mother, but become very different adults. We follow them as they come together to clean out the apartment before their parents sell it.

Avery and Lucky both struggle with addiction and are on opposite ends of the road to sobriety. This along with them being the oldest and the youngest causes them to clash constantly with Bonnie unable to chose a side. Maybe if Nicky had lived they would be closer and more civil but that's the thing about death. I liked how NIcky, in their grief, is perfect and tragic because its harder to comes to terms with someone who wasn't even a little shitty also being dead. The sisters know they aren't perfect people and in their sadness it makes them take an inward look at themselves. Is Avery happy in her marriage, what is bonnie's relationship with her coach going to be, what is Lucky outside of the modeling world? They're all inidividually sucessful but what is life beyond their beloved sister who made them four, but now also made them three. They all feel fully realized as characters and I really liked watching their dynamic with each other.

The side characters all have their quirks. There's this woman Lucky meets outside a sex club that I keep thinking about. Troll doll is a fantastic name and embodies that name so perfectly. Along with the POVs and their story, this really makes me want to go back and read Mellors' other writings.

I did think the epilouge was unecessary. It was nice seeing where they all ended up but emotionally the story ended in the last chapter. I also thought that there was some repeated or reworded passages, They were short and made sense where they were but I don't always need to read the same info twice.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the e-ARC via netgalley!

This review will be published on the linked storygraph account on September 8, 2024